Benedict Donald’s latest praise of Putin’s real estate deal is nothing new. He’s always chosen Vlad over the US.

 Most unsettling was the moment in Helsinki in July 2018, when Trump stood side-by-side with the autocratic leader and defended Russia from allegations that it had attempted to interfere in the 2016 election, despite the findings of US intelligence agencies. "President Putin says it's not Russia," Trump explained, "I don't see any reason why it would be."

And that was not all. Throughout his presidency, Trump repeatedly made disparaging remarks about the NATO alliance, which is now emerging as the critical firewall that will protect the rest of Europe from the ambitions of a brutal leader.

Trump's record on Russia is bigger than himself. It's a party problem. The problem is the GOP can't simply erase what happened during the four years of Trump's presidency or forget when Trump called Putin's actions in Ukraine "genius." 

Other GOP figures seem to be following Trump's dangerous lead. US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared at a white nationalist event a few days ago where the crowd cheered for Putin and the invasion.

And you wonder WHY I can’t stand em(R)?